Once Upon A December- Winter Memories
by Brookie Twiling
Summary: Memories are funny things. People say that as long as you have them, you'll always remember, you'll never forget. But what if you lost them? What if you couldn't remember the people that make you whole? What if you had to live forever, knowing you were waiting for something, someone, but could never remember what? Who?
1. Once Upon A December- Winter Memories

**So, first, I do NOT own Twi or Vamp Diaries, they own to their own owners. Also, this story mentions of almost rape and hinting at sex, but no actual rape or sex. This IS a songfic and the song I used was Once Upon A December by Sarah Morgann, it was one of my favorite songs and I love it. I had tones of fun, sort of, writing this story and I really hope you enjoy it too!**

 **Also, this was written for Kittyinaz's December 2016 Writing Contest.**

* * *

Have you ever had that feeling, like something's missing in your life.

Like, your missing that part of you that makes you complete, that part that you know you've had before, felt before, but for the life of you, you can't remember when, where, what, why or… who.

Well I have, every day.

Each morning I get up, have a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, go do whatever I have to do that day, have supper, get ready for bed, go to sleep.

Like clockwork, for 900 years- that's all I've done.

All I've felt.

But now, something has changed. I don't know what, and I don't know why, but I do know I'm about to get some answers.

Answers as to why I feel so empty, so lost, why I feel I have no reason to live, yet keep existing.

My name is Donella and this is my story…

* * *

 **September 1112**

"HELP! HELP! Pl… plea-se s… someon-e, h-elp." Broken cries cracked through the early autumn morning.

Orange light flickered and black smoke curled through the air, it's thick, dark color blacking out the pinks and blues of sunrise as it poured out of the burning home.

The fire spread through the rooms as quick as a galloping horse, stones crumbling and disintegrating under its hot flames.

The family who had lived there, long since burned.

All but one.

A young woman, her hair as dark as wild cherries, her eyes like that of a conker, dark and big yet shiny and bright, stood, tucked in the corner under falling debris, screaming.

Screaming for her family, hoping they were alive, knowing they were dead.

Screaming for her home, the one she and her brothers and sisters had grown up in.

Screaming for all her parents had worked for, watching everything burn around her.

She screamed in loss, pain and anguish yet she did not scream in fear.

As the world seemingly crashed around her, the flames hungrily making their way towards her, she was not scared. In fact she welcomed the flames, wishing they would take her pain, take her as they took her family.

Yet the flames would not get to her, they would not harm this dark but innocent beauty as someone had heard her screams.

Someone who had the power to help her, and someone who would.

So as the young woman closed her eyes, letting the burning smoke fill her lungs and the blackness take over her, she did not see nor hear the man enter the room, his eyes locked on her cloaked figure.

She did not feel the slight rush of wind that encompassed her as she was hurriedly whisked away.

She did not smell the scent of burning skin, nor see the mans skin heal and repair it's self, working together to heal over the wound until there was no evidence it was ever there.

She did not hear the mans worried voice, telling her to hold on, nor the others that soon followed his.

She did not feel the soft bed beneath her or taste to coppery blood that was forced down her throat.

She did not know any of this as she slipped into a dreamless sleep, knowing that she would soon wake up…

…Only not in the world she assumed.

* * *

 **November 1112**

"Ugh, Rebekah, I do not see why I should come, I'm hardly a noble."

"Of course you are. You have been a noble since the day we took you under our roof, Donella, don't ever doubt that." Rebekah told the younger female, dismissively, not even looking away from the array of gowns that were laid carefully upon the bed.

It had been almost two months since Finnik had come home with the young, burnt female, but when she had woken up three days later, there had not been a scratch on her.

She had pondered why this was, the Mikaelson's had told her that she was just lucky, but she was not so sure. She was certain she was to die that day, but in her relief and gratitude at the chance of a second chance, she had left it alone, knowing they must have done something but to glad to truly care.

Of course, Donella had heard the rumors about the nobles from the people of her town, the whispers that they were not all that they seemed and that few who went into their stately home, came back out alive.

Donella had, at the time, dismissed these rumors, thinking them just tall tales but as the days past, she had noticed things. Servants who went missing, strange noises in the night and how they seemed to know things that others did not.

However, Donella did not care if they were different, if they were the 'Monsters' the townsfolk said they were, for she knew that they all had good hearts, well maybe except Kol, and that they would always look after those under their protection, and Donella knew she was lucky to be under it.

It had taken a few weeks for Donella to really come out of her shell, but after a bit of coaxing from Finnik, patience from Elijah and care from Rebekah, she became more comfortable with the strange family and was now starting to think of them like her new family.

She had met Niklaus and Kol on several, separate, occasions but the others always seemed to pull her away before she could really get into a conversation with ether of them, much to Niklaus and Kol' s amusement.

Of course, she had heard of Niklaus' temper and Kol's recklessness, but that did not mean that she was going to be rude and purposely ignore them, if anything she would have liked to get to know them better.

"Donella!" Rebekah's exasperated voice drew her out of her thoughts, "I've been saying your name for the past two minutes!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Rebekah, I was just lost in my thoughts." Donella replied.

"You seem to do that a lot now a days." Rebekah said as she gave the dress, the one she had chosen for Donella to wear at the ball tonight, to a maid and silently ordered her to get Donella into it.

Donella sighed but remained silent as the maid took off her simple dress and started getting her into the far more complicated, and beautiful, dress that Rebekah had chosen.

It wasn't that she didn't like the dress, because she did. It was dark blue with gold swirls and darker blue flowers gracefully stitched into it. It had a navy over coat and gold lacing and the sleeves went to just above her elbows before becoming see-through, a gold band connecting the two different materials together. It was modest but showed enough breast to make any man look twice. The ensample was finished off with a silver, gold and Lapis Lazuli necklace that Rebekah had lent her and dark blue, silk, dance shoes.

Once Donella was dressed Rebekah, who was already dressed in a beautiful red and gold dress, shooed the maids out and personally did Donella's hair, something that she loved to do.

Rebekah had already had her hair done in a half up, half down hairstyles with ruby topped pins keeping her long, blonde curls in place and, as she curled and pinned back the dark-haired girl's hair back, she hummed a soft song that she remembered from a time long ago.

"There, beautiful." Rebekah said, as she stood back, admiring her handy work.

Donella's hair was now in an intricate updo, all pinned back with gold, sapphire topped pins, a few trestles falling down, framing her gorgeous, heart shaped face.

"You'll have all of the men staring at you!" Rebekah remarked, smiling at the confusion on the young woman's face. It was a well known fact that Donella did not see her own beauty and was oblivious to the attention she got daily.

It had, at first, upset Rebekah, not used to having men lusting after another girl, but once she got to know Donella and realized that the young beauty had no intention to take any man from her she had become a close friend of the young girl.

For a lady that had only truly known the company of her brothers and her lovers for over a century, she had welcomed this change and now Rebekah had started to think of Donella like a sister, and vise versa.

"I highly doubt that." Donella said, blushing. "If anyone will have their attention, it would be you."

Rebekah smiled and was about to comment when there was a knock at the door.

"Rebekah, Donella, we must leave now if we are to get there in time for the dancing." Finnik said from the other side of the door.

That was another thing, Finnik had always been distant from his family, more so since they turned, but in the last few months since he had found young woman, he had changed and was smiling more, becoming more involved than he was before. At first it had been worrying too his family, but over time they had started to get used to it, knowing it had something to do with Donella and not really seeing the harm in it. If anything it was better now that they weren't worrying about him plotting his and their deaths all of the time.

"We're coming now." Donella said as she opened the door.

Finnik went to reply but was taken aback by the beauty in front of him. Donella, too, was having trouble breathing as she took in his clothes. He, like she, preferred to dress down so seeing him in all of his finery was amazing. In her eyes, he looked like a king and, in his eyes, she looked like a queen.

Rebekah smirked, like she knew this was the moment that they both truly realized they were falling in love.

* * *

 **December 1112**

"I'm just saying, she's been with us for over three months and we've had many requests for her hand in marriage, maybe it's time we started considering it." Kol said, smirking.

"No, absolutely not!" Finnik said, straight away, his tone leaving no room for question but, as usual, his youngest living brother did not listen to him.

"Why not? She's 19, so of age to wed, and she can't stay here forever. Well, she could but then see'd have to become like us and you won't even tell her so…" Kol trailed off.

His siblings shifted uncomfortably, not wanting to think about the lies they had been feeding her. They had yet to compel her, not wanting to manipulate her like that, but they had been feeding her lies since the day she had arrived. It wasn't that they were ashamed of who they are or that they cared what others thought of them, it was just that Donella had this way that she was always so innocent in everything. She was their light and kept them together, even if she, nor they, knew it, and they were reluctant to change anything.

They knew she must have been suspecting something wasn't all right with them and, as they were unwilling to use compulsion on her, that only left getting her wed or locking her up as ways to stop her from knowing anything bad about them.

But both idea's had their flaws and even Niklaus, who had been pushing for her to be wed to a kind, but old, Lord who owned a plentiful estate not thirty miles from their home, was having his doubts, having taken a liking to the young woman after she had accidentally stumbled open his art room while he was painting and had had this look of awe to her as she looked around.

So Kol had taken it upon himself to make his siblings see reason. It wasn't that he didn't like Donella, if anything she was fun to have around, even if his siblings were always stopping their conversations before they started. But Kol knew that the longer she was here, the more chance that she would find out about them and the longer they stayed in this town, the more chance there was that Mikael would find them, which wouldn't do well for anyone.

"Kol's right." Elijah said, surprising everyone. "She is not ignorant, nor an idiot, in fact she is quite smart. It is foolish to believe that she will not figure out our secret if she stays here."

"But why must she be married off? What if she fallen in love with someone but has to marry a man who is old enough to be her grandfather, just because you made an arrangement for her without her consent?" Rebekah argued. She knew that Donella was in love, or at least fancied, Finnik and she was sure that he felt the same. But Rebekah knew that it would take awhile before they admitted their love for one another.

"And who would she have fallen in love with, sister? She rarely leaves the estate and when she does she is always with either Finnik or myself." Elijah stated. He wanted Donella to stay, but he knew that it would be better for her if she were safe _away_ from their family.

"It couldn't be one of the servants, they're to fearful to even talk to us, or her." Kol said, his infamous smirk still in place.

Finnik stayed silent as his siblings continued to argue and decide the fate of the one he had fallen for. She did not even know how she had captured his heart. This dark beauty that, despite her delicate features, was stronger then most. She was smart and could carry a conversation better then most women who were born into nobility and, in his eyes, she was the prettiest girl in the world. He would, should have told her how he felt but he was never very good with feelings and he was afraid of rejection.

I mean, how could a beauty like she, love a beast like him?

Finnik zoned back into the conversation just in time to hear Elijah's final words.

"So it's decided? We will send a letter to Lord Barrington and arrange the marriage." Elijah said, a hint of reluctance in his voice, but before any of his siblings could comment, the study doors burst open and, standing in the doorway, was Donella, tears welling up in her eyes but anger on her face.

"No." She said in a voice that startled the Mikaelson's, they were not used to seeing her angry so this was something they were unsure how to tackle.

"Donella, let us-" Niklaus started but was cut off by Donella.

"No. I will not be married off, sold like _cattle_." She spat, angrily, "If you want me gone, fine, I will go and you will never see me again. But my parents believed in love before marriage, as do I and I will NOT marry a man I barely know and do not love."

Her eyes flickered to Finnik's briefly, betrayal and sadness in her gaze, before she turned away and marched off, fully prepared to leave.

"Well that was… unexpected." Kol said once the silence Donella had left behind became to much.

"Yes, it was. However, I do believe that we know where she stands on this matter." Elijah said, feeling conflicted. He knew that it would be safer for her to be married, preferably to someone who would care for her, but how could they marry her off after that?

"The decision still stands." Niklaus said, with a tone of finality and authority. Each of his siblings knew that when Niklaus spoke in that tone, there was no changing his mind so, with heavy hearts (All but Kol who really couldn't care less), they left the room, each off to do there own things.

They did not realize that Donella _would_ leave.

And they did not realize they would miss her.

* * *

 **January 1113**

Three weeks.

That was how long it had been since Donella had left the Mikaelson's.

Somehow, dispite it only having been half a month since Donella had made the decision to leave after overhearing them making plans for _her_ to be married, without _her_ being asked first.

She had spent the first week traveling, barely eating and sleeping in back alleys, successfully keeping away from people that would want to hurt her. However, it was on her 8th day that she was jumped.

 _It was late at night and she was about to settle down for the night, sleeping behind a local inn as it was particularly cold that night and all she had to keep her warm was the clothes on her back and her thick, woolen cloak._

 _However, it had been raining that day and her clothes were still wet, the frost greedily clinging to the fabric, making her seek out the warmth of the back of the inns open stone._

 _The rowdy noise of the pub could be heard through the walls and Donella did her best to block it out as she huddled in the corner, but as she did this she failed to notice two drunken men coming towards her._

 _They had not yet seen her, but they soon would. Even under all of the mud, dirt and rain that was caked over the poor girl, they could tell she was still quite pretty._

 _Before Donella had truly processed what was happening, they had had her up against side of the Inn and one of them was taking off his belt and pulling his trousers down._

 _The young girl closed her eyes and prayed to her gods as she struggled against the men's strength, trying to block out their drunken laughs._

 _But, just as he was about to drive into her, he let out a painful grunt and looked towards the alley entrance, only to have a fist thrown in his face. He fell down to the ground cold, his nose bleeding as he passed out._

 _His friend let go of his grip of Donella so that he could defend himself, but in his drunken mess, he could not get a punch in edgeways and Donella's savior kneed him in the groin, then punching his face, knocking him out too._

 _Donella shakely opened her eyes and looked at her hero, surprised to see a woman with dark red hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing an odd outfit, one that Donella had never seen before and could not begin to describe, though she did blush when she noticed how much cleavage the other woman was showing._

 _The woman laughed, seeing Donella blush, "Hello, I'm Sage, are you okay, they didn't hurt you to much, did they?"_

 _"No, no, I… Oh god." Donella stuttered as it truly dawned on her that she had just been almost raped._

 _"Hey, hey now." Sage said, catching her as she went into a panic attack. Sighing, Sage helped her back to her house, which was on the outskirts of town, and once they were inside, Sage guided her to a chair._

 _She kneeled down in front of Donella and proceded to calm her down._

 _Donella quickly fell asleep and when she had woken up, she had found herself in Sage's brother's old room. She had planned to leave quietly, but after some persuading from Sage she had stayed, only planning for it to be for a few days._

That was two weeks ago and in that time they had become surprisingly close.

For Sage, she was glad to have someone else around the to lonely house and there was something about Donella, or Doe like Sage calls her, that made it easy to trust and like her, her openness and innocence, though annoying at times, was refreshing and Sage just knew that there was a strength within her that no one could truly comprehend.

And for Donella? Well, for her it was nice to have someone she could truly confide in. Someone who knew what it was like to lose family and someone that she knew she could confide in without worry that Sage would share her secrets.

They got along amazingly and were very close, despite them only knowing each other for fourteen days.

It was the three week anniversary of Donella leaving the Mikaelsons and she was shopping for food from the local market while Sage was in the inn, gambling, something she did as a side job because people rarely bought her wears.

People would say that even though she was a blacksmith's daughter and knew all he had taught her, she should not be doing a 'mans job'. So Sage had resorted to stealing occasionally and gambling, something she was rather good at.

Anyway, they were out in the town when the sound of horses galloping could be heard. The townsfolk, including Donella, looked over to see three nobles coming into town on horseback.

But not any nobles, no.

It was the Mikaelsons.

Donella quickly paid for the bread and, as inconspicuously as she could, she walked towards the inn, slipping inside.

Once inside she searched for Sage and, upon locating her she hurried over, gathering her blue dress up in one hand, clutching her basket with the other.

"Sage. Sage, we have to go." Donella said, hurridly.

"Yes, yes, of course, one minute." Sage answered, dismissively, not looking up from her game. It was clear that she was winning, but they had to get out of there.

Quickly.

"No, Sage, you don't understand, _their_ here."

Sage's head snapped up at her words but too late as the inn door was flung open and Finnik, Elijah and Niklaus came into the inn, looking around, searching.

Sage and Donella shared a brief panicked look before Sage quickly ended her game, taking her winnings but before they could get far one of her opponents called out,

"Hey!"

Loudly.

This attracted the unwanted attention of the Mikaelsons who caught sight of Donella.

Shock, worry and anger were in the three Mikaelson's faces as they stared at a face they feared they would never see again.

Donella was standing there wearing a light blue shirt with a darker blue dress over it and a metal belt, a basket over one arm, her other in the hand of a pretty red-headed woman.

Before they could move to her, however, the red-headed woman tugged on Donella's hand, pulling her out of her stupor, and they took off running as fast as they could, going through the backdoor.

The Mikaelsons quickly followed in pursuit, waiting till they were away from prying eyes to run at their natural speed.

They caught the girls as they were climbing over a brick wall that easily went up to their shoulders.

"Oh no you don't." Niklaus said, grabbing Donella before she could get over the other side.

Sage, who was already over the wall, called out in frustration, being able to see what was happening, but not being able to climb back over from that side. She sighed, fustraitedly and started quickly running around the buildings so that she could get back to the other side.

"Let go of me, get off of me!" Donella cried, kicking her feet about as Niklaus wrapped his arms around her, her back to his chest, arms pinned to her side.

"Not a chance." Niklaus growled as Elijah sighed and Finnik looked at Donella with a mixture of care, anger, love and sadness.

"Niklaus, let her go." Elijah said, "I'm sure she won't run, right Donella?"

Donella mumbled something not even there superior hearing could catch.

"What was that?" Elijah asked, politely.

" Fine, alright!" Donella snapped and Niklaus let go of her, and she fell to the ground as he had been holding her above the ground.

"Really?" Finnik asked as he rushed over to her, Niklaus only smirked and walked over to Elijah, his arms folded.

"Are you ok Donella?" He asked, checking her over.

"Y-yes." She said, caught of guard by the love and care she could see in his eyes.

"Don't you _ever_ leave like that again, do you know how worried I… we were?"

"I can take care of myself." She mumbled.

"Sure you can." Niklaus scoffed, but was ignored by the two would-be-lovers.

"Just promise me, promise you will not leave again, I could not bare it if you…"

"Well you were planning to marry me off anyway! At least leaving the way I did made sure you got rid of me, like you wanted."

"We never wanted that Ella. There are just some things about us that we didn't want you to know, because we were scared. You won't be married off, I promise."

Donella sat there, looking at him, stunned. He had never called her anything but Donella, yet her shortened name on his lips made something foreign rise within her and, before she had time to process what she was doing, she was kissing him.

The kiss was soft and warm, light but passionate and everything she wanted her first kiss to be.

They did not hear Niklaus's laugh, or Elijah's unsurprised sigh. Nor did they hear Sage's "Well that was quicker then I had expected."

All they heard, felt and saw was each other as they shared their first kiss.

* * *

 **December 1113**

Donella woke up with a gasp. Her hand was being held by someone and she looked to the person holding it.

"Finn." She said, relaxing into his hold.

"Ella." He said with relief, looking her over. They had been out riding when a storm had viciously come in and the horse Donella had been on was spooked by a shock of lightning, rearing making Donella fall, her neck snapping as she had.

Luckily she had been taking her lovers blood for the past few months, just in case anything like this happened as Finnik knew he could, would, not live without her.

He had also gifted her a necklace, one of the few things she had actually excepted from him. It was a Lapis Lazuli heart with copper leaf detail on in and a copper chain. It had a tiny, square stone in into too and both pieces of Lapis Lazuli had been spelled by a nearby witch who had owed him a favor.

"How do you feel?" Finnik asked as she sat up, looking around her, seeing a man laying about on the floor. She turned to Finnik inquisitively. "You need to drink, Ella."

"Can't I just drink yours?" She asked, eyeing the thug like one would eye bad meat.

Finn laughed, "Maybe later, little one, but right now you must drink his."

Donella sighed but went over to the man, tentatively picking up his arm and biting down, moaning as the blood filled her system.

As she drank she thought about the past few months.

After their kiss in the alley, Donella had returned home with them. Rebekah had welcomed her home with a slap and a hug, sighing when she noticed her eldest brothers protective stance around her 'sister'.

When they had explained what they were to her she had, at first, freaked out. But once she got used to the idea, she realized that they were always vampires, they hadn't changed, or not since she had known them at least, so knowing their secret didn't change a thing.

Sage had moved homes, now making home in the town near the manor. She been turned five months prior, after she got into the wrong bar fight and had come to the manor, bleeding out, wanting to spend her last moments with the closest thing she had of family.

She hadn't expected Finnik to turn her, but he had taken a liking to her and he knew that Donella would hate it if the woman she thought of a sister died.

Sage hadn't stuck around long as the other Mikaelsons didn't like her so much, but she sent letters from wherever she went and never went to far, coming back every month or so, not trusting people to not steal from her home while she was gone, despite Finnik and Donella's assurance that they would keep an eye on it.

Once she finished her meal, Finnik picked her up and started kissing her, feeling a need to mark her.

As they lost themselves in their passion and heat, everything seemed perfect.

Yet everything would soon change.

And not for the better.

* * *

 **January 1114**

It was the beginning of the new year.

The beginning of hundreds of years of hell for the two lovers.

Kol had left for the East, causing bloodshed as he went, only to get dragged back my Elijah after he almost wiped out the Indian capital.

Sage had also left, wanting to find out what had happened to her birth brother, having heard a rumor that he may have been in Scotland.

Rebekah had a new lover, a hunter by the name of Alexander. But the thing he hunted was not bear, nor deer or any animal.

No, he and his four brothers hunted vampires.

Elijah, Niklaus, Donella, Kol- even Finnik- had all told Rebekah how stupid was being, but she had not listened and it had cost the old family dearly.

One night, when the full moon was high, Donella had been hunting alone. Usually she would have been with Finnik, but she had decided to let Finnik sleep, only slipping out for an hour at most.

That choice saved her life.

Halfway through her hunt she felt a stabbing sensation in her heart and knew something was wrong with Finnik.

She swifty snapped the neck of the thug she was feeding from and ran straight back to the house.

She could smell the blood before she even got in and feared the worst.

She cautiously made her way inside the near silent house, hearing no heartbeats, not that she would if it were only the Mikaelsons inside, as it should be.

She gasped, however, as she felt someone behind her and turned around to see Niklaus, his eyes half crazed as his clothes, neck and mouth were all coated in blood.

"Nik?" She asked, carefully as she slowly made her way over, "Nik, what happened, where are the others?"

"Where were you?" He asked, his voice a low monotone.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" He roared, pining her to the wall by her neck.

She looked at him and, for the first time, she was truly scared.

The others did not know that she had turned as Finnik knew that they would try to turn her into a murder and toy with her and he wanted to put that up for as long as possible.

"O-out." She stuttered, wondering what had happened to make him so insane and angry.

In his rage, hate, confusion and paranoia, Niklaus thought that she was apart of the attack. That she had know what was to happen and had left, without warning them.

In this moment, he did something he would come to regret.

And Niklaus Mikaelson did not regret almost anything.

He compelled her.

He compelled her to forget all about Finnik and the Mikaelsons.

He compelled her to forget _everything_ that had happened after the fire.

He compelled her to live for as long as she naturally could.

And then he compelled her to leave.

And so she left, running at a speed that scared her.

Having a hunger that was familiar yet foreign.

Feeling empty inside, like something was missing but, no matter how hard she tried, she could not remember what.

* * *

 **Christmas Eve, 2010**

"Bella, are you ok? You've been staring at the fire for the past like ten minutes." Emmett said, the soft dipping under his weight as he bounced on it.

"Huh, oh, yeah, I guess." Donella muttered as she played with the bracelet she wore as her sun protection.

The necklace she had worn since, well since she could remember was getting a bit to conspicuous so when her witch friend, Salva, had given her the chakra bracelet for Christmas, six years previously, she had been ecstatic.

It had seven beaded stones, she wasn't quite sure which but she did know that one was Lapis Lazuli and that it was also spelled so the sun couldn't harm her, but she did know that they help balance her chakras. It had a hamsa hand with an evil eye in the center and black lava rock beads.

She still kept the heart necklace, of course, as it was the only thing she had of her old life and she felt it was special to her, she just didn't know how.

"Bells, you're doing it again!" Emmett said with a laugh.

Her name wasn't even Bella, but they didn't know that and Donella wasn't exactly a common name in these times.

"I'm sorry, just thinking. I feel like today is a special day."

"Well of course it is! It's Christmas Eve!" Alice said, bouncing up to them.

"No, I mean really special, like…" Donella hesitated, not sure if she should tell them this or not. But then she realized that she couldn't hide who she is from them forever, they'd find out soon enough and it was a miracle they hadn't already.

"Like what, love?" Edward asks, sitting down next to her and putting his hand on her shoulder in what was meant to be reassuring, but actually wasn't.

Donella shook off his hand as she came to stand in front of the fire. She spoke as she watched the flames lick, greedily at the logs.

For a long time she had been afraid of fire, it always reminding her of all she'd lost, or what she could remember she had lost. But now…

"Have you ever had that feeling, like something's missing in your life. Like, your missing that part of you that makes you complete, that part that you know you've had before, felt before, but for the life of you, you can't remember when, where, what, why or… who.

Well I have, everyday. Each morning I get up, have a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, go do whatever I have to do that day, have supper, get ready for bed, go to sleep.

Like clockwork, for nine hundred years- that's all I've done. All I've felt.

But now, something has changed. I don't know what, and I don't know why, but I do know I'm about to get some answers. Answers as to why I feel so empty, so lost, why I feel I have no reason to live, yet keep existing."

"What do you mean nine hundred years, love?" Edward asked, cautiously but, before Donella could answer, there was knock at the door.

The Cullens all quickly came to stand from where they had been sitting around the fireplace in the festive looking living room.

The each looked to each other and they protectively stood in front of Donella, who mentally scoffed, while Carlise answered the door.

"Hello, my names Carlise, may I ask who you are?" They heard Carlise ask,

"Finn, and this is my friend, Sage, we're looking for someone and were told that she would be here." The mans voice, so familiar drifted towards Donella's ears as she stood behind the Cullens.

 _"Calm down, girl, my name is Finnik Mikaelson, you're in my home. I found you outside a burning building, you've been out for a few days."_

She stood back in shock as the memory hit.

Finn. Finnik Mikaelson. She knew, remembered…

She looked towards Edwards Piano in thought as Carlise talked to the newcomers and the others, to absorbed with the conversation at the front door to pay her much mind, didn't notice she had moved until a melody, one Donella had heard hummed long ago, started playing through the piano.

"Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember, and a song, someone sings. Once upon a December."

 _"Donella!" Rebekah's exasperated voice drew her out of her thoughts, "I've been saying your name for the past two minutes!"_

 _"Oh, I'm sorry Rebekah, I was just lost in my thoughts." Donella replied._

 _"You seem to do that a lot nowadays." Rebekah said._

"Someone holds me safe and warm, horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory."

 _"So it's decided? We will send a letter to Lord Barrington and arrange the marriage." Elijah said, a hint of reluctance in his voice._

 _"No." She said._

 _"Donella, let us-" Niklaus started._

 _"No. I will not be married off, sold like cattle." She spat, angrily, "If you want me gone, fine, I will go and you will never see me again. But my parents believed in love before marriage, as do I and I will NOT marry a man I barely know and do not love."  
_

"La, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la la."

 _"Hello, I'm Sage, are you okay, they didn't hurt you to much, did they?"_

 _"No, no, I… Oh god." Donella stuttered as it truly dawned on her that she had just been almost raped._

"Someone holds me safe and warm, horses prance through a silver storm. Figures dancing gracefully, across my memory"

 _"Are you ok Donella?" He asked, checking her over._

 _"Y-yes." She said, caught of guard by the love and care she could see in his eyes._

 _"Don't you ever leave like that again, do you know how worried I… we were?"_

 _"I can take care of myself." She mumbled._

 _"Sure you can." Niklaus scoffed, but was ignored by the two would-be-lovers._

 _"Just promise me, promise you will not leave again, I could not bare it if you…"_

"Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember. Things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember."

 _"How do you feel?" Finnik asked as she sat up, looking around her, seeing a man laying about on the floor. She turned to Finnik inquisitively. "You need to drink, Ella."_

 _"Can't I just drink yours?" She asked, eyeing the thug like one would eye bad meat._

 _Finn laughed, "Maybe later, little one, but right now you must drink his."_

"And a song, someone sings."

 _"Nik?" She asked, carefully as she slowly made her way over, "Nik, what happened, where are the others?"_

 _"Where were you?" He asked, his voice a low monotone._

 _"What?" She asked, confused._

 _"WHERE WERE YOU?" He roared, pining her to the wall by her neck._

"Once upon a December."

Donella sat there for a moment, her mind flooded with lost memories returned.

Her heart leaped out of her chest as she thought of her lover, her soul, Finnik. Someone she had been without for so long, as he had her.

"Love?" Edwards voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she, using her vamp speed, turned around and ran straight to her lover, who had come in with Sage while she had been playing.

"Ella." He said, staring into her eyes.

"Finn." She said, leaning up to kiss him.

As they kissed, the hole in her heart slowly healed, the loss he'd felt since waking up was gone.

Just as when they first kissed, they were oblivious to the world around them.

They did not notice Edward lunging at them, only to have Sage tackle him to the ground.

They did not see as Edward and Sage realized they were mates, which Donella would later comment was the funniest thing since… well, ever.

They did not hear Emmett's whistling or his 'Ow!' when his wife wacked him over the head.

All they heard, felt and saw was each other as they lost themselves in the kiss.

 **The End**

* * *

 **So that was Once Upon a December- Winter Memories. Was it good, was it bad? Leave me a lovely comment and I can, hopefully, find out.**

 **Did you like Sage and Edward being mates? I really wanted to put that in there cause it's just so damn funny! The sexist, over-protective prude with the feminist, male-beater-uper, whore (I mean that in only the kindest ways).**

 **Anywho, I really do hope you enjoyed this story, sorry about the spelling my beta (Grammerly) isn't working for me right now.**

 **Love ya'll,**

 _ **Brookie**_


	2. Donella Meets the Cullens - Outtake

**Donella Meets The Cullens**

 **March 2010**

Donella walked down the corridor. She was bored out of her mind. Her 900 years were catching up to her and she was scared, scared she'd end it, scared of death.

She'd compelled the Chief of Police to think that she was his daughter, no one would question him, and she thought 'Hey! Why not play human for awhile, might give me something to do'. So she had enrolled into this small, school in this small, rinky dink town.

 _Forks._

Gods, even the name was bad, but never mind, it's not like there is much else to do that she hadn't already-

"Ow!" Donella winced, on instinct, as she fell down.

"Oh, I'm sorry." A strong, male voice said.

She looked up and instantly froze.

Cold One.

Damn.

"Are you ok, mam?" He asked, offering her his hand.

"Er, yes, yes, just find." Her natural foreign accent coming through slightly. She cleared her throat as she accepted his hand and stood up, his skin was only slightly colder and paler than hers.

She knew the Cold One must have noticed, but he didn't comment.

"Jasper Hale." He told her once she was standing.

"Bella Swan." She replied, automatically.

"Hmm." He hummed. He looked at her critically. He noticed her bracelet but he didn't outwardly say, or even think, anything about it. "Chiefs daughter?"

"Erm, yeah."

Donella was starting to feel uncomfortable under his cold, no pun intended, stare.

The bell rung and Donella jumped, "I've got to go." She murmured, rushing off to class.

That morning Donella was subjected to stares and whispers, all of which she could hear, but she just kept her head down and continued on her way.

 _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea._

At lunch she was the first one in the hall. She sat at a table and kept her head down as she ate her sandwich and read her book.

"You're in my seat." A female, bitchy voice said as she was just getting into the book.

Donella looked up and saw a whole clan of Cold Ones around her.

 _Oh Come ON!_

She quickly got up, "Oh, I'm sorry, I, I didn't know." She quickly gathered up her things and was about to leave when the rustic-haired one asked her to stay.

She turned around and cautiously looking at them before hesitantly sitting down in the chair provided.

 _Ok, hold the record- why in the seven hells am I acting like this? Like I'm_ human _? Stupid? Actually, that's probably a good thing._

She thought, looking at the Cold Ones. She knew that, although there was no spoken problem between the two species, they didn't openly talk and Donella had to admit- she was curious.

What were Cold One's like? How did they live? Are they just like Traditional Vampires? Or are they as bloodthirsty as she had been told?

She did not realize back then that her choice to get involved with these Cold Ones would spiral out of control, that she would get stuck with them and there would be no way out.

Well, not for awhile, at least.


End file.
